Why Stop the Clocks When Someone Dies? The Old Mourning Custom and What It Means
Why families stopped the clocks and covered the mirrors after a death, the reasons folklore gave, and how people keep the custom today as a way to mark...
Woolly Bear Caterpillar Meaning: The Winter Forecast, the Science and the Symbolism
What the woolly bear caterpillar is said to predict about winter, what the science shows, and how its bands, sleep and transformation became an autumn symbol.
The Bell Witch Legend: What Really Happened in Adams, Tennessee, and What Is Only Told
The Bell Witch legend of Adams, Tennessee: what records confirm about the Bell family, what comes only from Ingram's 1894 book, the main explanations, and how to visit.
Marie Laveau's Tomb and the XXX Wish: Where the Ritual Came From and How to Visit Today
Where the XXX wish on Marie Laveau's tomb in New Orleans comes from, how the ritual is described, why marking the tomb is now vandalism, and how to...
Ozark Folk Magic: Power Doctors, Water Witching and Planting by the Signs
Who the Ozark power doctors, yarb doctors and water witches were, what they did, where the tradition came from, and how to explore it with respect.
Wishbone Tradition: Where It Comes From, What It Means and How to Break It Right
What the wishbone is, what history actually shows about the custom, which origin stories are unproven, and how to dry and break one fairly.
Finding Pennies Meaning: Pennies From Heaven, Lucky Pennies and What It Means Now the Penny Is Gone
What finding a penny means in American folk belief, from pennies from heaven to heads-up luck and meaningful dates, what grief research says, and what changes now the...
Halloween Apple Divination: The Peel, the Mirror and the Seeds (How the Old Party Games Actually Worked)
How the three classic Halloween apple readings work, the peel over the shoulder, the apple before the mirror and the named seeds, where they come from, and how...
Hedge Apples and Spiders: The Osage Orange Myth, What Actually Keeps Them Out, and How to Use One as a Threshold Charm
Hedge apples and spiders: what the Osage orange is, why the Midwest is full of it, what the Iowa State research really found, what keeps spiders out, and...
Buckeye in Your Pocket: The American Luck Charm, Where It Comes From, and How Practitioners Carry It
The buckeye pocket charm: what the seed is, where the American luck belief comes from, how Ohio adopted it, how to tell it from a conker, and how...
Persimmon Seed Winter Prediction: How to Read the Spoon, Knife and Fork (and What the Record Actually Says)
How to read the spoon, knife and fork in a persimmon seed, how to cut one safely, what the shape really is, what the almanacs and NOAA say,...